DATE OF RIG VEDA THROUGH SOLAR ECLIPSE-3000 BCE (Post No.4470)

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SRI UMAPADA SEN OF CALCUTTA HAS ESTABLISHED THE DATE OF RIG VEDA AROUND 3000 BCE IN HIS BOOK THE RIGVEDIC ERA. HE SUPPORTS THE VIEW OF A. LUDWIG WHO ALSO APPRECIATED THE VEDIC HINDUS’ AMAZING KNOLEDGE ABOUT HEAVENLY BODIES.

Here is a summary of Umapada Sen’s article (part of his book):

Solar eclipses narrated in the Veda cannot be overlooked. In passage 10-138-4 of the Rig Veda, it is said Indra ‘maseva suryo vasu puryam adade’. this means it was the sun that was eclipsed, for the words ‘ vi suryo Madhya amuchat rathevam divah’ in the preceding verse point clearly to a solar eclipse.

Ludwig’s observation about the attitude of some persons always ready to defame the Veda and the Vedic Indians is worth noticing. He says, “such narrations in other texts ( he quotes other texts) do not appear doubtful, but such expressions when found in the Rig Veda are quite doubtful and many critics regard it as extremely doubtful. There should be no doubt any further, by all events it is not lunar but solar eclipse”.

“Compare RV 4-28-2. There Indra is said to have eclipsed the sun (somena, induna, by the moon). Prof. Willibrandt in his book on Vedic mythology has elaborately and extensively demonstrated that there is never any reason for disbelieving that Soma was Chandramas/Moon.

“The eclipse of ‘svarvanu’ has no relation with the clouds. Svarvanu, etymologically taken designates him whose light is the sun or sun’s. This is no other than the moon. We can accurately frame the translation of RV 5-40-6 …….”

In the mantra it is said that “Thou, Oh Indra, hadst hurled down by means f svarvanu’s witcheries spreading down from heaven, Atri by means of the fourth brahma has found out the hidden sun”.

Atri had to utter four Rik verses and by that time the eclipse subsided. This was the time taken by total solar eclipse!

The ‘Svarvanu after 3000 years turned out to be Rahu in the Vishnu Purana after it had lost the etymological meaning. (For the laymen, they gave a story of snake devouring moon or sun and in course of the time the original view forgotten)

Ludwig further gives a detailed account of Hindu tradition and praises the accuracy of observations.

Attempts for determining the date of the Rig Veda through astronomy by Ludwig, Jacobi and B G Tilak amply proved their intimate acquaintance with the Vedic literature.

Antares (star Jyeshta or Kettai in Tamil) or Indra was called Jyeshtagni meaning one who commences the New Year (must be sidereal in this case).

Ludwig says, “Vedic priests were aware of moon’s borrowing light from the sun. That the ancient Hindus had a correct notion of the orbits of sun and moon, that their ability to account for the phenomenon of eclipses is absolutely out of doubt and the part assigned to Indra is interesting in a double point of view, and be it noted here that ADRI in the Veda often stands for a node that hurts the weaker Soma (moon) when he passes it, and not always for a stone to pierce Soma plants.”

Ludwig’s vivid narrations of the solar eclipses, wherein times without number he mentions of Indra’s peculiar function, must be carefully noted. Vedic narrations invariably connect Indra with the eclipses. In RV 10-138-4, Indra forces sun to unyoke the horses. It simply means sun was forced to lose his rays when it was just over or near Antares (star). The entire hymn 5-40 describes the eclipse in greater details. It, therefore, appears that two solar eclipses, of which one was definitely total, took place during the Vedic period on dates very near autumnal equinoxes that were visible from Indian latitude 28-32 N and longitude 68-74 E of Greenwich, so as to give an impression to the onlookers that Indra was competent to cause solar eclipses. (Indra= star Antares)

Umapada Sen believes the word Suhanta for thunder in 7-30-2 was a comet. He says that the 27 stars, five planets, sun and moon were the Rig Vedic Devas.

Antares and Sun

The scanning of the Rig Vedic revelations does reveal to us that Indra (star Antares) was privileged to enjoy the close company of the sun and as such the date when the particular star Antares was enjoying autumnal equinoxes bears the all-important connection with the Rig Vedic period.

When Umapada sen approached Indian observatories to find out the equinox position of Antares, and they were not helpful. But Greenwich and Hamburg observatories have promptly responded with requisite assistance and Dr Brian G Marsden of Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, USA has very kindly favoured him by undertaking the desired calculations.

Dr Marsden writes to say, “The date when a. Scorpi (Antares) was at ecliptic longitude 180 degree is around 2990 BCE”. The Vedic hymns were composed in earlier periods do reveal that around 3000 BCE, Indra (star Antares) had actually clutched on the thunder (comet) that impressed the Vedic singers as to the massive stature of his weapon.

The date of the solar eclipse near about the autumnal equinox visible from 30 degee N Indian latitude calculated by expert astronomers is between 3000 BCE and 2800 BCE.

Umapada sen concludes the article with a tribute to the Vedic seers, “The Rig Veda is not a code of ethics, a book of morals, a bunch of liturgical exhortations, a bundle of idle speculations, a product of utter frustration or a text with meaningless jargons. It is a collection of sincere invocations, the spontaneous out pouring of the heart of the earliest poets, ovations to the Devas, the stellar gods, wherein the celebrations by and by engulf a vast sphere of sublime religious thought and a true record of intellectual growth and material progress attained by a group of human souls in a corner of the earth well before 3000 BCE.”

My comments

It is interesting to see that Vedic poets used a particular style of language or symbolism to express facts. The Brahmanas and the Vedas say that the gods like mysterious language (RV 4-3-16). Though our sees calculated the time of eclipses scientifically and accurately, they told the laymen some interesting stories about the snake Rahu devouring moon or sun to describe the eclipse. Here Atri utters four verses or mantras and the hidden sun came out, says the Vedic hymn. I think that is the time taken for the total eclipse of the sun.

Even today we are thrilled to read about the total eclipse of the sun in newspapers. My London neighbour spent 1000 pounds to see the solar eclipse in America. So even when Vedic Hindus knew what is an eclipse Atri might have told them “wait till I finish the four mantras and you will see the sun out. Like our astronomers tell us that the sun will be in full eclipse between this minute and this minute, Atri might have told his disciples, that before I finish the fourth mantra the sun will be out. If a solar eclipse is an astronomical wonder for us today, it would, definitely, have been a wonder for a Vedic Hindu 5000 years ago.

The second point I would like to make is that Vedic language is very difficult. Only those who are well versed in Astronomy can figure out the meaning of certain mantras. Sometime ago I posted Ornithologist K N Dave’s view of a mantra where in seven sisters meant actually birds. But even Sayana who lived just 600 years ago could not give the correct meaning. Because Dave was an ornithologist, he could understand what our seers said. Yaska who lived at least 2800 years before our time could not understand hundreds of words. That shows Vedas were very ancient, more ancient than we thought until today. Now our job is to reinterpret all the mantras with a panel of experts from every walk of life or profession and present both Sayana’s and the new interpretations. We must discard all foreigners’ writings.

Now that we know the Vedic civilization existed before Indus Valley civilization through scientific research of Sarasvati river and through the astronomical research, we must rewrite Indian history ASAP.